Questions from those who are just starting or considering getting into the ant keeping hobby. If you’re intimidated or confused by the in-depth posts of the other sections of this forum, feel free to post here, and we'll start from square one!

Glad to join the community. I just recently bought a colony of Camponotus spp (8-10 workers + 1 queen) a week ago. I've attached my setup in the pictures below. It's basically a sandwich container with a cut out netting overtop to allow for airflow and my deterrent is baby powder and isopropyl alcohol placed on the inside edges. Inside is a bunch of dirt and a bottle cap where honey can be placed for consumption. The test tube setup and water trapped with cotton is also inside the sandwich container but the ants can freely move out of the test tube if needed. The test tube is wrapped with aluminum and a paper cover to keep it as dark as possible.

I was hoping if it was possible to ID these ants because I'm curious as to what species it could be. Is it also ok if I keep this setup? If not, what can I do to make it better? Also, the ants are on a cabinet in my room at the moment and I'm not sure if it's a suitable spot for them due to how often I come in and out, alternating between having lights on and off. The test tube they're in will stay dark thanks to the cover but the rest of the container will be exposed to light. Can I still keep it in my room or should I move the set somewhere else where the ants aren't exposed to light? I've noticed that the ants have taken the dirt and placed it at the opening of the test tube and have barricaded themselves in. Is this normal? Finally, I'm really unsure about what to do for hibernation. Can anyone give me a debrief on what needs to happen so that my ants can hibernate?

Glad to join the community. I just recently bought a colony of Camponotus spp (8-10 workers + 1 queen) a week ago. I've attached my setup in the pictures below. It's basically a sandwich container with a cut out netting overtop to allow for airflow and my deterrent is baby powder and isopropyl alcohol placed on the inside edges. Inside is a bunch of dirt and a bottle cap where honey can be placed for consumption. The test tube setup and water trapped with cotton is also inside the sandwich container but the ants can freely move out of the test tube if needed. The test tube is wrapped with aluminum and a paper cover to keep it as dark as possible.

I was hoping if it was possible to ID these ants because I'm curious as to what species it could be. Is it also ok if I keep this setup? If not, what can I do to make it better? Also, the ants are on a cabinet in my room at the moment and I'm not sure if it's a suitable spot for them due to how often I come in and out, alternating between having lights on and off. The test tube they're in will stay dark thanks to the cover but the rest of the container will be exposed to light. Can I still keep it in my room or should I move the set somewhere else where the ants aren't exposed to light? I've noticed that the ants have taken the dirt and placed it at the opening of the test tube and have barricaded themselves in. Is this normal? Finally, I'm really unsure about what to do for hibernation. Can anyone give me a debrief on what needs to happen so that my ants can hibernate?

Sorry about droning on with the questions and thanks in advance!

https://i.imgur.com/Tg92JJM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/A2y1Jwr.jpg

Put the ants in the fridge, or your garage. Give them some food to live off of and check on them once a month.

"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

The species is Camponotus novaeboracensis.
Using tinfoil to cover test tubes isn’t a great idea because the tinfoil insulates the testube and because of the water the testube will be colder than if you left it uncovered or covered it with something else like cloth or paper.

Putting them in the fridge would be a huge NOPE thanks to my parents and my house is kind of infested with spiders especially in the garage... I'm a little scared that my ants might get attacked even though the container is sealed and the meshing on the net is too small for spiders to get in but thats probably just me worrying too much. Also, do these ants need any light during hibernation? The garage door is being opened everyday and theres this big noise it always makes when it opens/closes. Wondering if this would disturb the ants along with any exhaust from the car that we park inside the garage? I could place the container in the garage if these issues won't be a problem but would any other unheated area be suitable as well?

Also, thanks for the suggestion on removing the aluminum foil. I'll be getting rid of it and using the paper cover instead.

Spiders tend to stay clear of ants because ants can be very aggressive. If you have an enclosed setup, the chances of a spider getting inside are pretty minimal. Except very small spiders, but they are more likely to be ant food than anything else.

"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

Spiders tend to stay clear of ants because ants can be very aggressive. If you have an enclosed setup, the chances of a spider getting inside are pretty minimal. Except very small spiders, but they are more likely to be ant food than anything else.

Thanks for clearing that up. As I mentioned before, my garage is pretty loud when it's being opened/closed and we always bring the car inside... Would this disturb the ants?

Spiders tend to stay clear of ants because ants can be very aggressive. If you have an enclosed setup, the chances of a spider getting inside are pretty minimal. Except very small spiders, but they are more likely to be ant food than anything else.

Thanks for clearing that up. As I mentioned before, my garage is pretty loud when it's being opened/closed and we always bring the car inside... Would this disturb the ants?

Ants can't hear. If the garage absolutely shakes the ground when it opens, that could be a problem. Yet when ants are in deep freeze, they don't feel a thing.

"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25